Dispenser containers



y 7, 1958 F. F. s. suzvr; 3,

DISPENSER CONTAINERS Filed June 22, 1966 United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Describes a dodecahedron dispenser container having a hinged cover with the hinge mechanism contained entirely within said dispenser container.

This invention relates to an improvement in dispenser containers in the form of a dodecahedron having twelve pentagonal sides. Dodecahedron dispenser containers are attractive and useful, however, they are difficult to make because of the difliculty of attaching a hinged lid section on one of the pentagonal sides.

When all of the sides of a dodecahedron dispenser container are made of a rigid, plastic material, such as styrene, hard rubber or the like, the attachment of a hinge, hinge, pin, etc., for the movable cover of the dodecahedron container causes substantial manufacturing difficulties and when the container is in use, the cover when made of rigid material often breaks off and the further utility of the container is destroyed.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a dodecahedron dispenser container in which eleven of the pentagonal side walls are molded of rigid plastic material, such as for example, styrene, phenolformaldehyde or hard rubber, and the hinged cover is made of a flexible plastic material, such as polypropylene.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dodecahedron dispenser container which is easy to manufacture and to which a hinged cover may be easily applied and which is substantially unbreakable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple means for attaching a hinged flexible cover to a dodecahedron dispenser container.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as this description proceeds.

Referring now to the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the hinged flexible cover of the dodecahedron dispenser container,

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the top of the dodecahedron dispenser container before the hinged flexible cover is applied,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line 44 of FIG. 3, showing the hinged flexible cover in position to be applied to the container,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the line 55 of FIG. 3 showing the hinged flexible cover in open position, and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the hinged cover in closed position.

In the manufacture of dodecahedron dispenser containers according to my invention to the container is molded in two sections, each section constituting approximately one-half of the container. The bottom section 1 (FIG. 5), containing six of the pentagonal side walls, and constituting one-half of the container, is molded in one piece, of a rigid plastic material, such as styrene, and the top section 2, constituting substantially the other half of the dodecahedron container, is likewise molded in one section of rigid plastic material with the five pentagonal faces 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 around the top thereof, and the sixth face, 8, is left open, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Sections 1 and 2 are secured together along their meeting faces by any suitable adhesive, such as a thermosetting or thermo-plastic resin or by heat and pressure without additional adhesive if the plastic material of which sections 1 and 2 are formed is of such a nature that it can be fused together by heat and pressure.

On the interior of the pentagonal face marked 3 a projection 9 having a slot 10 therein is formed, for the attachment of a hinged cover for the opening 8. The flexible hinged cover 11 (FIGS. 1 and 4), which is essentially pentagonal in shape, has a projecting member 12 having two spaced struts or legs 13 with extending ears 13a and a tab 14, which fit into a slot 15 between faces 5 and 6 to hold the cover closed. The cover portion 11 is made of a flexible plastic material, such as polypropylene, soft rubber or the like, and is provided with a reduced section 16 to give it flexibility for hinge purposes.

In assembling the container the two halves 1 and 2 are assembled together as indicated in FIG. 5 and the struts or legs 13 are squeezed together and pushed through the slot 10 so that when assembled they occupy the dotted line position indicated in FIG. 4 and the full line position indicated in FIGS. 5 and 6, with the ears 13a extending outwardly at each side below the slot 10. In this position the struts 13 and the ears 13a firmly hold the cover 11 in place and a flat side of the member 12 rests against the flat enlarged section 3a on the inside of the pentagonal face 3 to hold the member 12 firmly when the cover 11 is bent at the reduced section 16 in opening and closing the cover. The section of reduced thickness 16 occupies a position at the top of the face 3 and the cover 11 can be bent to the closed position indicated in FIG. 6 where it will remain closed with the flap member 14 occupying the position in the slot 15. When it is desired to open the container, pulling up on the flap 14 will open the cover 11. By providing a flexible hinged cover as described above, there is relatively little danger of the cover breaking off when it is opened and the flexible struts 13 permit easy application of the flexible cover 11 to the rigid dodecahedron body 1-2 without the use of hinge pins, projecting ears or the like. The hinge mechanism is entirely contained within the dodecahedron dispenser and breakage of the hinge mechanism is thereby eliminated.

While I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention it will be understood that modifications and changes may be made therein and that the hinged flexible cover 11 may be applied to other shapes of rigid plastic containers than a dodecahedron container.

I claim:

1. As a product of manufacture a dodecahedron dispenser container having eleven rigid pentagonal sides and a pentagonal shaped flexible hinged cover for the twelfth side, said flexible hinged cover and the hinge therefor being contained entirely inside said dodecahedron container.

2. The product of claim 1 in which one of the rigid pentagonal sides has an interior ledge projecting into the 3 container and slot in said ledge into which flexible legs on the flexible hinged cover project.

3. The product of claim 2 in which the flexible hinged cover has flexible legs for securing it to the inside of one of the eleven rigid pentagonal sides and a reduced sec- 5 tion at which the flexible hinged cover bends.

4. The product of claim 2 in which the flexible legs on the flexible hinged cover are provided with outwardly extending ears which extend beyond said slot.

4 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,292,188 1/ 1919 Wheeler 229-8 2,461,711 2/ 1949 Wewetzer 220-31 2,746,081 5/ 195 6 Gerslen 220--31 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

J. MARBERT, Assistant Examiner. 

